


Archive

by Anarik



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Detective Draco Malfoy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, For some people, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Happy Ending, Head Auror Harry Potter, I Don't Even Know, I know nothing about law, Implied/Referenced Cheating, It's Muggle London, Kid Fic, M/M, Maybe some muggle violence, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Or Investigations, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Outsider, Past Relationship(s), Slow Build, bear with me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2018-12-23 20:02:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11996958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anarik/pseuds/Anarik
Summary: One of the former students of Hogwarts dies in a car accident and her kid is taken to a muggle orphanage. Harry decides to take part in the matter after discovering the kid is probably going to have the same childhood as him. Draco Malfoy taking the case too isn’t helping at all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. The whole universe is written by the beautiful, talented J. K. Rowling. I only use her characters and locations as a way to entertain myself and you.
> 
> English is not my first language, if there's any type error or mistake please feel free to tell me and I'll edit and correct the chapter. Thank you.
> 
> Answer to my question: Muggle London. Thank you!

The road is completely empty, the sky is still blue and there aren’t any clouds to be seen. Driving from work to home in a day like this is completely relaxing and one could feel the natures’ peacefulness. A grey Audi comes by the empty road, it looks well-cared even though it’s a 2003 model; it’s driven with such precaution that it’s almost impossible for someone to drive at such low speed around this part of town. The way of driving is so soft and delicate that it didn’t matter if something came along the way, it could be easily avoidable and the driver would never lose their temper.

…

In an instant, the car loses control. In the middle of the road it seems like it starts to go at an incredibly high speed, and that the steering wheel is been handled by inexperienced hands. Suddenly, the car starts to overturn, and after rolling over three times, the Audi’s roof and hood are completely destroyed and starting to show some smoke. Across the road, upside down, with the wheels still rolling quickly and with all its glasses broken, the car is left there, abandoned.

 _It almost looks like a coincidence that there isn’t another car around_.

*

Harry Potter is still considered one of the bravest wizards of all times, and is still stopped in the middle of the streets to be greeted or to shake his hand. It’s been nineteen years since the battle of Hogwarts and there are still people who admire the boy who lived (twice). Although, he’s not a boy anymore. He’s a thirty-seven-year old man, and he’s everything he’s ever wanted to be. Sometimes, all he wants is to get all his stuff and move unknown to some apartment in the muggle world, where he knows he’s never going to be found, where he knows he’s never going to be stopped to shake his hand or thank him for saving the world, or where he’s never going to be stared at like he was some sort of god. However, he always stops after he realizes that he doesn’t know how to do anything other than what he is: an Auror, built on the internal and external battles he fought his entire life. Hogwarts made him and it showed him the way he took without a second guess, and that had taken him where he is now: the Head of the Auror’s Department; and Harry loves his job.

The magical side of London has stayed the same over the years, and to be honest, Harry isn’t surprised at all. Hermione and he agree that it seems like they stayed stuck in the XIX century on purpose; however, it seems to work and there’s peace among everyone so, why change it? Harry wants to believe that the important thing is that the prejudice don’t take over the life of wizards and witches anymore. Potter thinks that all of that stayed indoors since everyone were really focused on solve the other problems Voldemort’s fall had left.

None of the things Harry has seen as an Auror compares to everything he had done when they were looking for the horcruxes. In the beginning, he’d thought that his Auror training would cause him such a rush he’ll be completely excited to catch the dark wizards that had escaped after Lord Voldemort’s fall. But it wasn’t like that; instead, he’d lost all the enthusiasm and he is now behind a desk, authorizing missions, bored while his Aurors are investigating in the field. Sometimes he feels like he’s missing something, some emotion in his life, something that motivates him to do something different aside from sending and receiving owls with reports, but he hasn’t been able to find that _something_ that can fill the emptiness he feels inside yet. He understands that this is the path he chose, and he loves being an Auror, but sometimes he feels like sitting on a chair desk is not the only thing he’s supposed to do, sometimes he thinks that accepting the position as the Head Auror wasn’t the right choice. He should have stayed in the field, he’s sure someone else could do the job just as good as he does.

The morning of October 17 starts as any other morning would. Harry wakes up early, he takes a shower and has breakfast on his way to the Ministry, without putting much thought into what’s surrounding him in the streets. It’s the same routine over and over again, and even if he’s used to it, he wants something new and interesting happening to him, maybe a robbery or an accident while he walks by the street. London isn’t used to have big things happening anymore, and he knows whatever happens is going to be published in The Daily Prophet, even if he doesn’t read it anymore.

When Harry gets to the Ministry there’s a big commotion. There are a lot of wizards and witches filling the halls, usually empty at this hour when Harry walks to his office; with surprise, he tries to ignore the murmurs and whispers, but while walking past some witches he hears something that catches his attention.

“Poor kid, and at such young age…”

That makes him stop in the middle of everything and he tries to find a known face among all of them. Inside his head, every single person looks the same: blurred and almost unrecognizable and that makes him feel a little bit of pain on his temple.

“Neville!” he recognizes after staring a spot for a long while. Harry thinks he maybe needs to change his glasses.

“Harry!” Neville walks at high speed to where his friend is.

“What is going on? Why are there so many people in here?”

Neville looks at him with a worried expression before answering. “Do you remember Elena? Elena Pemberton?”

“Yes. Although I haven’t heard from her in almost ten years, why?”

“She died a couple of days ago. The only thing I know is that it was a car accident.” Harry looks at him with wide eyes. “Apparently, she lived in the muggle side of Ireland, she had a nine-year old son. They’re in the Wizengamot deciding what are they going to do with him.”

Harry feels a knot on his chest. He can almost think about what had happened to him when he was just a baby, and a hunch makes him move and walk to the Wizengamot. The door is open and, funny enough, the room is almost empty. _Even if the situation is as disconcerting as it is_ , Harry thinks, _there aren’t many people interested in that child’s destiny._

The Minister of Magic looks at him the moment he enters the room, nodding at him while he listens to the testimony of one of the Aurors that, for some reason, Harry hasn’t been able to identify their voice or their face just yet, he asks himself if the situation is hitting him harder than he thought. He sits far away from some wizards and witches that look at the Auror with full attention.

“… the car was found in the middle of the road by some Irish folks that were driving around, apparently there hadn’t passed that much time because when they got Pemberton’s body out of the car, the fire hadn’t reached the gas tank yet. They found some ID’s, which helped while finding out she was from England so they called the London muggles’ authorities, who called for the Ministry. William Pemberton was found in the house by Irish authorities, was taken custody of him and was transferred to London. At this moment, he’s at one of the local orphanages. We tried to contact the Pemberton’s family but none of them would take the kid, apparently Elena cut all of her tights with her family before getting out of the country.

The Auror finishes talking about the case and Harry’s head can only think about two things: that kid must be scared and he probably doesn’t understand anything that’s happening, has someone taken the time to explain what happened to his mother?; and the second thing was that there wasn’t any sign of the father, plus he’s using his mother’s last name.

“All right. Thank you.” Kingsley speaks calmly. “The Ministry of Magic will decide what is going to happen to the infant, William Pemberton.”

A lot of voices start to talk at the same time and Harry feels his heart clench. Deciding what was going to happen to a nine-year old kid was a soulless act, but the adults never thought about the kids’ wishes and if those decisions could affect their lives dangerously, they just left the things hanging until something happened. Harry closes his fists with anger, feeling the weight of his own actions when he was just a teenager. Hermione, sitting beside Kingsley, looks at him with a worried expression. He watches her as she murmurs something to the Minister’s ear and then, the whole room falls silent.

“The Ministry of Magic has decided to put the nine-year old infant, William Pemberton in the system,” that’s the first thing Kingsley says. “However, seeing that the kid is in no condition of being in an orphanage, given the psychological trauma of the moment, the kid’s custody is put on trial until further notice."

The room stays silent. Kingsley’s suggestion was hanging there, almost implicit. Whoever wanted to take the kid’s custody, temporarily, could speak up immediately. Harry feels like a sense of will overwhelms him; a big, warm feeling of overprotection of a kid he hasn’t even met yet, but with whom he could empathize because his justice sense spoke loud and clear. The black-haired knows Hermione can’t take the boy in because she’s working really hard to be the next Minister of Magic, and Ron’s constantly traveling so he can’t take care of the boy while she’s at the Ministry. Harry stands up.

“I’ll take him.” He pronounces firmly.

Harry looks almost defiant to anyone who dares to have demur intentions. The room is completely still out of the surprise, and Hermione looks at him with proudness and a feeling in her eyes that he can’t identify. With a smile, she nods at him and Harry feels that the whole movement is the last reassurance he needed to make the decision.

“Mr. Potter, I understand and admire your… willfulness,” a woman speaks from the podium, with a smile that looked a lot like Umbridge’s to Harry. “, but you have no experience as a parent.”

Harry sighs. He definitely didn’t think about that.

“William Pemberton doesn’t need a father, Julia.” Hermione says with annoyance. “He needs someone who takes care of him and who’s aware of what he needs while the whole adopting process ends. I can’t think of someone better than Harry for that job.”

“Harry Potter is an Auror.” Some man speaks from behind. “, his job will leave him no time to take care of the boy.”

“I’m the Head of the Auror’s Department. My job is, literally, sit behind a desk. How am I not going to have enough time to take care of him if I’m always in London?”

The room starts to fill with whispers and murmurs until Kingsley speaks up again and makes everyone shut up. Harry is looked with distrust, pride, incredulity and even annoyance.

“Harry Potter.” Kingsley looks at him, “are you sure you want to take William Pemberton into your custody until the adopting process ends and he’s completely safe?”

“Yes, I am completely sure.”

“Very well. Then I declare you the legal guardian of Elena Pemberton’s son.”

*

Harry walks quickly around the muggle’s streets, without looking twice to the people walking around him. He has changed his wizard robes and he’s now wearing a jean and a light blue t-shirt, he has a file with the necessary papers to take William out of the orphanage, signed by the muggle authorities, plus the Ministry of Magic. He sighs deeply when he gets to the orphanage’s bars. It looks impressive. Even he, an old man, is a bit scared of going inside. Whoever thought that this place was child-friendly needs to rethink their life choices.

The construction is imposing. It looks like some kind of centuries-old, abandoned mansion because of the lack of painting and the mold cause by the rain. The door is a big piece of metal and the windows have bars outside of the glass. Harry suppresses a shiver when he passes by the front door and then is guided to the Director of the Orphanage’s office. Harry doesn’t want to have to come back to this place ever in his life after he gets out of here, and he really wishes the kid doesn’t have to come back either.

“Mr. Potter, nice to meet you. My name is Lucille Thompson, I’m the Orphanage’s director.”

Lucille is a plump woman, tall and her face is gentle. However, Harry doesn’t want to believe that unnecessary show of sweetness. When he was a kid, he had watched a few movies about orphanages with Dudley, always threated to be taken there by his uncle as a consequence of his behavior, and all of them showed an evil director that acted like an angel in front of the adults. Harry knows that’s very childish of him, but he decides to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Miss Thompson.” Harry answers with a smile, the woman laughs.

“Oh, my, ‘Miss’. It’s been quite a long time since someone called me that. However, no, Mr. Potter. Mrs. Thompson is ok, my husband is still alive.”

Harry frowns at the sudden share of background, however, he tries not to pay much attention.

“I have understood that you come here because of the little William.” The woman speaks very serious.

“That’s right. A few days ago, I was assigned as his legal tutor.” Harry handles her the file.

“Very good.” She says while she looks at the papers inside. “, it seems like everything is in order, however, I would like to ask you some questions. Don’t worry, Mr. Potter, they’re just standard questions.” Harry nods, confused. “Can you offer William a bed, a roof and warm food?”

“Yes.” He answers confused. “I live alone in a two bedrooms apartment, both of them completely furnished, so he can have his own room.”

“Very well,” she answers staring at him. “Will you be available for him when he needs you, every single day he stays with you?”

“Yes. I have a very flexible schedule and right now I have a two-week permission so William can get comfortable around me.”

“Good… Do you have the patience to handle a nervous crisis?” she asks and she looks at him with sadness.

“I consider myself a very patient person. I’ll try to handle any crisis he has the best way I can.”

Harry knows that he’s telling a half-lie. Patience isn’t something he would use to describe himself, he would use that quality to describe Hermione, maybe. He feels a little bit more inclined to call himself "impulsive", but this is for William’s sake. If he needs to lie, he’s going to lie.

“It’s just that… William’s been having a lot of nervous crisis at night times. He wakes up screaming and crying but he doesn’t say a word. Since he got here he hasn’t talked to anyone and he’s usually sitting in a corner. I’m really worried he doesn’t get out of that state.”

“He’s just in shock.” Harry says. “, he probably doesn’t understand why he’s here and why he can’t see his mother anymore. Kids understand a lot more than they let us see, but we need to explain it to them. If nobody tells him anything, there’s no way he can understand why he’s in a different place.”

The woman looks at him for what he felt hours but she smiles: “I’m sure the little William will be in very good hands with you, Mr. Potter.”

He smiles feeling content with himself. He understands what it feels like to be an outsider, he lived feeling that way most of his childhood. Harry understands now the pressure he’s been feeling since he heard about the kid and only one thought comes to his mind: _I want to be to that kid what Hagrid was to me when I was little._

Lucille Thompson stands up from her chair and asks Harry to follow her. They go through another set of halls, doors and stairs until they stop in front of a big door that has a "play room" sign on it. Even from outside, Harry can listen to the screams and laughs from the kids inside, and even if he's heard the opposite, he has this tiny hope inside of him of wanting William to be one of the kids who’s laughing. The door opens and it looks like nobody pays attention to that. Harry scans the room and every kid inside looks like they’re having a blast. He hears Lucille talking to someone, asking them to bring William to them and Harry can’t help but look the path the person had taken, however, they disappear behind a door.

Harry gets distracted quite some time looking at some kids fighting because of a toy and he laughs to himself, wondering if Dudley and he had done something like that at some point. He doubted that, but he thinks that even his aunt and uncle could find amusing something like that.

“Here we are!” one of the persons in charge says. Harry looks at her for a minute and then he looks down. William is small, even for a nine-year old kid he looks smaller and younger, seven years at most. He keeps his eyes on the floor and he has his hoodie covering his head. Harry kneels in front of him and smiles fondly looking at the kid, however he doesn’t look at him.

“Hello, William,” Harry says. “My name is Harry Potter. I’ll be your legal guardian from now on and you’ll be staying with me, is that ok with you?”

Harry waits patiently for an answer but the kid doesn’t seem to register him. With a sigh, he starts to stand up again but the kid looks directly at him. He looks exactly like Elena Pemberton when they were kids: pale skin, no freckles, brown eyes and hair… Harry stares at the kid’s head. Elena had had beautiful blonde hair but her kid… her kid was a redhead. A shade of red he's seen almost his whole life. He feels dizzy for a moment. The boy nods and with a mechanical movement he starts to walk to the open door, leaving Harry still kneeled on the floor and feeling like the room’s spinning.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry grabs the keys of his apartment’s door with one hand and tries to open it, failing his attempt because his other hand is busy grabbing William’s. The kid still seems to be focused on his own mind and isn’t paying much attention to Harry or his surroundings. Harry is no expert on kids but he figures that talking to him can do some good, even though he doesn’t answer (or actually listens, for that matter) at the moment. Harry feels the need to explain to the kid that his mother is not coming back and that everything is going to change. He’ll probably be going to Hogwarts in two years and Harry wants him to be comfortable around people again before that happens. He knows he’ll probably won’t have to stay with the boy for that long but then again, nobody explained how long the adopting process was going to take. Or if the boy was going to recover rather quickly. Harry doubts it but he’ll try his best.

When Harry opens the door, they both step inside and he kneels in front of William. “Ok, William, this is my apartment. I know this probably doesn’t look at all like your old house but we can try and make it homie for you, don’t you think? It’ll be nice to have some company for the both of us.”

William just blinks at him and Harry sighs. It’ll take time, he knows that, but he just wants the kid to be comfortable enough with him to talk again.

“Come on, I’ll show you your room and then I’ll make you dinner, ok?”

Harry stands up again and takes William’s hand on his again, guiding him through the apartment. He shows him the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom and William’s room, pointing out that the door in front is Harry’s and that he could go there _any time_ , Harry will always be available for him. After that, they leave William’s things inside his room and then go to the kitchen. Harry sits William on the counter and he begins to make dinner, talking none-stop about Ron, Hermione, the Ministry, and how scared he was when he got to the orphanage. Harry thinks to himself that it’s like talking to his cat, all blinking eyes and little less than a response.

“Speaking of which… Where’s Dumbledore?” Harry mumbles while frowning.

He lets the food cooking and goes into the living room to look for his cat.

“Dumbledore!”

Harry walks backwards, calling the cat’s name a few more times and he manages to almost stumble into the coffee table. From under the table a white, fat cat comes out, walking lazily and looks at him unimpressed.

“Stop making that face.” Harry says and bents down to pick him up. “I’ll introduce you to someone. I know, I know, you’re territorial and you barely stand me but! I’m sure you’ll like him! He’s very quiet at the moment and will probably like some cuddles, I’m sure you’ll be good for him.” Harry says and gets into the kitchen again, making his way to stand in front of William. “Well, William, this is my cat, Dumbledore. He’s named after one of my mentors and headmasters at Hogwarts and he’s a magic cat. You’ll not believe it but he can understand you, but probably just ignore… just like the real Dumbledore sometimes, huh. Dumbledore, this is William. Be good to him.”

Harry lets Dumbledore out of his grip and puts him on top of the counter beside William. They both look at each other for a long moment and then, William lifts his hand to pet Dumbledore and, surprisingly enough, the cat lets him.

*

Harry is reading a book when he hears the screams. He’s out of bed as soon as he can and opens the door abruptly. Inside, William is sitting on the bed, sweaty; wide, open eyes fixed in terror and screaming like his life and vocal cords depend on it. Harry makes his way until he’s beside the bed and sits down beside the boy. _It’s a night terror_ , Harry tells himself, even if the little boy has his eyes open, he’s still dreaming. Harry hugs him and tries to ignore the screaming on his ear. William is crying, his breathing is erratic and his throat sounds sore. Harry puts his hand on William’s hair and starts soothing and caressing it while murmuring soft _shhh_ s to him and _everything is all right, William_ into his ear. Eventually the screaming stops and William wakes up.

He looks tired, worn out, exhausted. His eyes are puffy and are still letting tears out, his breathing is a little more controlled but not less worrying. Harry’s scared. Not because he doesn’t believe he’s able to help the boy but because he’s afraid of actually knowing what happened before they found the kid. _In a kitchen cupboard_ , his brain supplies and he really wishes he didn’t know that.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Harry says and wipes William’s tears off. “Let’s go to the kitchen, yeah? I’ll make you tea.” Harry knows there won’t be an answer and, even though the kid looks like he could use some sleep, he also seems afraid to go back to that just yet.

When William is drinking his tea, a little bit of sugar for the nerves, Harry sits beside him and starts talking.

“I’m not sure this is a good time, but I guess it’ll never be a good time for something like this.” Harry says and sips his tea, he burns his tongue and lets the cup down. “You probably don’t know why you’re here with me, they probably didn’t bother on telling you what was happening. They’re like that, you know? Always thinking to what’s best to themselves and letting the others suffer through their decisions.” Harry lifts his gaze and notice William is staring at him. “You see, your mom and I… we used to go to Hogwarts together. She was a year below us so I actually didn’t have classes with her but Ginny, Ron’s little sister, she did have classes and knew her very well.”

Harry remembers Elena. He actually wasn’t in the Sorting Hat’s ceremony that year but he remembers seeing a Hufflepuff girl talking to Ginny along the corridors that year. Elena was a beautiful girl with short, blonde straight hair, big brown eyes and skin as pale as a ghost. She was hard worker, dedicated, patient, tolerant and loyal, and he remembers Ginny talking to Luna once about how insecure, messy and easily scared she really was, underneath all her cheery bravado. He remembers her fighting alongside him and all the others in the Battle of Hogwarts and with Dumbledore’s Army.

“You’re probably wondering why you can’t see your mom anymore,” Harry says, and he looks at the boy with dark, sad eyes. “The afternoon they went to your house to look for you, she had an accident. It was awful and… she didn’t make it, William. I’m sure she tried to get to you after getting out of work but it was impossible for her to do so. She really tried, but she can’t come back. She’s in some safe place, looking out for you and watching over you. Believe me, I know it… Do… Do you understand what I’m saying?” Harry looks at him worried because the kid is crying silently and trying to wipe his tears off with his arm.

William stops to look at him for a moment and nods. Harry sighs. That sole gesture is the entire weight-lifting sigh he needed. William understood and answered on his own way. That’s everything he needs to know William is going to be ok.

He has faith.

*

William’s been staying at Harry’s for a few days when he receives an owl from Ginny. He gives the animal a treat and he sits on the couch to read the letter.

> _Dear Harry:_
> 
> _How have you been? It’s been a few weeks since the last time we saw each other and I hope you’re eating regularly. Last time you were a little bit thin. I know, I sound like my mother now, but I worry because your place is always empty._
> 
> _I got an owl from Hermione a few days ago, she tells me you took Elena’s boy? I didn’t know she had a kid, although I didn’t know anything about her since she disappeared without saying goodbye. How is he? Is he ok? Is he comfortable with you? Are you ok? I know it must be difficult for you to sort your schedule between work and him, but I’m sure you’ll be just fine._
> 
> _In case you’re wondering, I’m good. The Holyhead Harpies have been really good this Summer and they’re trying really hard to go to the Quidditch World Cup. It’ll be the first one they go in ten years and I’m just as excited as anyone in the team. And I’m the manager. I’m supposed to be relaxed and calm._
> 
> _By the way, I was offered the Sports editor’s job for the Daily Prophet. Do you think I should take it? I asked Ron, Hermione and Luna and they said I should, but I want to keep going to the matches. I like that better, what do you think I should do?_
> 
> _I hope you’re doing ok, and I’ll see you soon. I think I’m going to London in three weeks, I’ll keep you posted._
> 
> _Have a nice week,_
> 
> _Ginny Weasley._
> 
> _Ps: please, eat something healthy for a change. We don’t want the boy who lived twice to die from a heart attack at such young age. Take care of yourself._

Harry lets the letter on top of the coffee table and grabs his wand, he uses the Accio spell and brings a piece of paper and a pen. He really got bored of quills after graduating from Hogwarts. He starts to write a response.

> _Ginny._
> 
> _I’m really good right now, thank you for worrying. I’m even eating healthy now that I have a boy to take care of. He’s doing good. He’s still not talking but last night he didn’t have a night terror so I consider it a win. Right now, he’s petting Dumbledore and giving treats to Pigwy II._
> 
> _I’m really glad the HH are doing that good! I’m sure they’ll be able to make it to the World Cup and win. I’m sure your expectations will be fulfilled. Owl me when you come to London and we can go out and catch up over tea or coffee. We can take William too, if you’re ok with it._
> 
> _I want to ask you something, Gin. Do you know something about William’s father? He doesn’t seem to have taken any responsibility for the boy since he’s using his mother’s last name, but I would like to know, you know? There are a lot of case scenarios here and I just want to be sure. Do you happen to know him? Or do you know what happened to him? There’s something here that doesn’t seem to fit._
> 
> _On the other matter, I think you should do what you enjoy most. If it’s going to the matches and writing about them, then don’t take the editor’s job. But if you feel like you could take it and be just as successful and enjoy it just as much, then accept the job._
> 
> _I wish you and the Holyheads the best in the next few matches and in your days,_
> 
> _Harry._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back!
> 
> Here you go, first Drarry encounter, suspicions are made, banter is done and relationships are mentioned. 
> 
> Hope you like it!

A few weeks into living with a kid, Harry feels himself a little bit more at ease. Will looks more comfortable too. He still hasn’t spoken, but he tugs Harry’s jeans and pants when he wants something and that’s enough for him for now. He knows the Ministry did some arrangements and he’s supposed to be taking William to a muggle school until he turns eleven, but he’s not sure the boy could handle being surrounded by so many strangers at once. So, he asks him.

“Hey, William,” he calls him, “dinner’s ready.” He says and the boy comes running from his room, Dumbledore by his feet.

They start eating in silence, Harry looking up from time to time, checking if the kid is ok.

“William,” he says, and the boy looks up, expecting. “Do you think you feel ok to start going to school again?”

William looks at him for a long moment, and Harry doesn’t dare to take his eye off the boy. They stop eating altogether and even Dumbledore has stopped licking his paws. William nods and lowers his gaze, starting to eat again. Harry stares at him for another moment until he follows him into the action.

*

Once William starts going to school again, a muggle school in the mornings and some tutoring on magic by Harry in the afternoon, Harry settles on going to work only in the mornings. On a particular Monday, Harry decides to drop William at school and instead of going to the Ministry, he goes back to his apartment, takes some floo powder and says Elena’s address.

He knows the Ministry did a spell and now everyone authorized (meaning, only people from the Ministry) can go there using the floo network. When he arrives, the first thing Harry sees is that the living room is a disaster. The sofas and the couch are upside down, the table, he guesses, had a glass surface because there are a lot of little pieces of broken glass on the floor. He walks carefully, inspecting the floor for some clues, but he discovers nothing.

The kitchen is pretty much the same, all the cupboards are open, the plates and glasses are broken on the floor. It looks like someone came before the authorities arrived and Harry can imagine little William hidden somewhere inside one of the cupboards, hoping the bad person didn’t open that one. Harry doesn’t blame the kid for not wanting to talk.

He heads upstairs, trying to look for pictures because there seem to be none. He asks himself if maybe the Ministry or the authorities handled the pictures thing, or if the supposed-person that came looking for the kid took them to know who they were looking for. Upstairs there are only three doors. Two bedrooms and a bathroom. Harry heads for the first door, opens it and gladly, the bedroom doesn’t look like the first floor. Instead, the bed is well arranged, the bedside table has a photo and when Harry takes it, he can see Elena smiling down at a baby. It’s a muggle picture, it’s colored and if he narrows his eyes a little and looks closely, he can see the red hairs on William’s little head.

He continues looking, opening the closet and looking inside cabinets, and then he drops a notebook.

*

Draco opens the front door. He’s alone. He hasn’t told anybody what the doctors at St. Mungo told him yet, wanting to look for some clues before the vultures in his office come looking for things. The first floor is a mess, he can make that up and he wonders if the person that came looking for the kid is the responsible for all of this. He’s sure nobody but him knows there’s someone looking for the kid. Well, at least nobody in his department, the people with power probably know. Or they can actually think for themselves and figure it out, who knows. The point is, Draco is looking for something in the living room, when he hears something drop upstairs and a curse.

He takes his wand out and starts walking up the stairs, careful that the person upstairs doesn’t hear him. There’s only one door open and he puts his body beside the entry, looking inside at the person. They’re a wizard, Draco can tell that much because of their robes, and have short, dark hair. The person moves a little and Draco can see their glasses and a distinct mark on their forehead.

“Potter?” Draco asks, showing up and the person jumps.

“What the fuck, Malfoy!? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

It sounds like Potter, but Draco isn’t known these days for being carefree. So, he ups his wand and points at Harry, receiving the same movement.

“What spell did Harry Potter use against me in the bathroom in sixth year?”

“You want me to answer that with my wand up?”

“Answer it.”

“Sectumsempra.”

Nothing occurs, of course, because Harry doesn’t move his wand to do the spell and he doesn’t actually mean it.

“What did Draco Malfoy do in fourth year with my name for the tournaments?”

“Seriously, Potter? That one is too easy. A lot of ‘Potter stinks’ badges.”

Harry smirks at him and lowers his wand. “Nobody ever knew who did the badges. You just confessed.”

Draco looks blankly at him, realizing his mistake, and rolls his eyes, lowering his wand as well.

“Why the preoccupation I was someone else?”

“Work stuff.”

“You remember I’m the Head Auror, right? Tell me.”

Draco stares at him. Harry Potter has always been a mystery to him. They boy grew up not knowing about the magic world and he _still_ got himself known as one of the most well-skilled wizards of all time. And it’s not like he gloated himself in the fame he got when he was a baby, because he didn’t, and that actually was what infuriated Draco the most. He was an awkward kid with too many smartass retorts and a bravery that would make Godric Gryffindor proud. Draco doesn’t even remember when was the last time he actually held a conversation with Harry Potter without insults and strong assessed words. Years, probably. And here they are, talking like old pals, Harry Potter smirking at him with no heat and it could almost be consider as playful banter.

“Using your powerful position for getting information, Potter?”

“I don’t know about the powerful position, but it does get me information.” The easiness Harry admits that makes Draco hum. “There must be a reason why you’re here.”

“Same applies to you.”

*

Harry looks at him for a moment and sighs.

“Why are you here? Her death was an accident, there’s no need for the investigative division to step up. I know you’re the one who presented the case at the Minister.” Because yes, if Harry pays close attention, he can actually make Draco’s back form on his mind.

“Ah, yes. The day Harry Potter went on full heroic mode and helped the kid.”

“Yes. Because stepping up for a kid who just lost his mother and has no father was the heroic act I was planning for that day.” Harry snaps with a frown and turns around.

“… The living room and the kitchen are a mess, you have anything to do with that?” Draco asks, after a moment of silence.

“No. It was like that when I got here.”

“I was afraid of that.”

“Someone _did_ come before the authorities.” Harry knows that he’s saying a statement, and not at all questioning.

“Someone came before the authorities arrived. Yes.”

“But it was an accident… right?” Draco stays quiet, looking around the room. “Malfoy?”

“The doctors at St. Mungo told me today that Elena was already dead when the accident happened.”

“You’re saying that she was killed…?”

“By the killing curse. Yes.” Draco says out loud and he can almost see the weight of his words on Harry.

They look at each other for a moment too long and then Harry closes his eyes, rubs his hand on his face and then hides his fingers on his hair, pulling a little. They keep looking for clues in the room in silence, until Draco stops from looking under the bed and stands up, getting a shoebox out of it.

“Why are you here, Potter?”

“I’m trying to find anything on the dad.”

“You want to find him? He’s probably dead.”

“Probably. But it’s not a certainty. William won’t talk, and I don’t actually know if she was with someone before she leaved. The father might be out there and William needs to be with his family.”

“Her parents don’t want to have anything to do with him, though.”

“And they’re a bunch of stupid, self-righteous persons if they don’t give William a chance.”

Draco doesn’t say anything for a moment, looking inside the box.

“Wow.”

Harry looks at him with a frown and Draco smirks, all-knowingly, at him. He shows him a picture of William, probably one or two years prior to now. He’s smiling at the camera, all freckles, white teeth and red hair. _Red hair_. Harry stops a shiver from going through his back, but he’s sure he’s pale.

“You recognize this redhead, too, huh?” Draco asks, and Harry feels himself boil in anger.

“Watch your mouth, Malfoy. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t pull that crap on me. There aren’t that many wizarding families in England who have that tone of red on their hair. I think is fair to say that…”

“Watch it!” Harry yells, pointing with his wand. “That’s my friend you’re talking about.”

“And he still managed to...”

“Don’t you dare to say a word about that. You don’t know.”

“Well, do you? Are you hundred per cent sure that he’s not…?”

“Hey! Stop insinuating that! How would you feel if I said that Parkinson and Zabini are cheating on each other, huh!?”

Draco raises his eyebrows and that’s not actually the reaction Harry was expecting.

“I would laugh at you because Pansy and Blaise have a very healthy, non-monogamous relationship.”

Harry feels thrown out of his game and he huffs. Takes a few notebooks with him and stalks out for the door.

“What are you taking with you?” Draco asks, voice calm.

“Diaries, I guess. Maybe I can find something on the father thing.”

“You do know that if you take those, I’ll probably need them in a foreseeable future, right?”

“You can owl me when you need them, or I’ll owl you the moment I finish reading them, take some notes for you to compare?”

“You want to compare notes?”

“Why not? Elena wasn’t one of my closest friends, but she was a nice girl.”

Harry keeps walking to get out of the room, until Draco stops him again.

“Hey, Potter.”

“Hmmm?”

“You know that if he _is_ the father, then he’ll be my first suspect, right?”

“I know.”

“Elena was one of Pansy’s friends, shortly before she disappeared. I’m not going to stop until the person who killed her is in Azkaban. Doesn’t matter who they are.”

“Just make sure you have all the evidence before you do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry: 1.  
> Draco: 1.


	4. Chapter 4

_June 20, 1993_

_I just got my Hogwarts acceptance letter! I am so, so excited. The owl came today through the chimney and left the letter for me to read! My mother and father are rather excited and said that we’re going to go to Diagon Alley as quickly as possible. They said I wasn’t able to buy a broom just yet, but that I could for my second year. I don’t like flying that much, but it makes them happy to see me doing it, so maybe I’ll go for Quidditch try outs in my second year. I heard Harry Potter is the only first year that’s been allowed to get in the team. I wish I could be as good in flying as him._

_My sister’s been in Hogwarts since 1990 and I’m rather excited about the changing staircases and the moving portraits! And it’s not that we don’t have moving portraits, we do. But Hogwarts is a castle! There’ll be a lot of portraits and pictures and… I kind of want to talk to them all._

_I hope I get sorted into Gryffindor, all my family, with no exception, is a Gryffindor. It’ll be really embarrassing if I’m not._

_Until next time!_

*

_July 3, 1993_

_My mother suggested I should cut my hair before I go to Hogwarts. I don’t really want to. I like my hair long, Blonde hair looks better long, that’s what I always tell her, but she has brown hair, just like my sister, so she doesn’t understand. My father, on the other hand, he has blond hair, but he wears it short. I think he would look very handsome if he let his hair grow, but I don’t think mother will be very pleased._

_We finally went shopping! We bought a lot of black robes for Hogwarts and a set of magical ties that change colors. My mother wanted to buy Gryffindor robes right away, but my father told her not to overdrive herself into shopping. I also bought my wand! It’s made of cedar, unicorn’s hair, it’s 13 cm and it’s flexible. That’s what Mr. Ollivander said. My mother made a face when she heard the core was unicorn’s hair, I’m not really sure why. Mr. Ollivander explained to me that every core has its own benefits, but there are people who believe Fenix feathers are the strongest cores for wands. I guess my mother is disappointed I didn’t choose a Fenix core wand._

_I’m really excited for this new year._

*

_July 20, 1993_

_Mother and father are fighting again. This time they threw spells at each other while I was in my room, hiding from them. Mother says father is cheating on her, because he’s suddenly out a lot and bringing gifts for everyone. I think my mother doesn’t realize that my sister’s birthday is next week. My father bought dresses for all three of us and promised my sister we were going to eat outside._

_I hope mother gets a hold on the dates before that happens._

*

_July 27, 1993_

_Today’s my sister’s birthday. Mother doesn’t remember, and my sister is really mad at her for throwing out father. I hope he’ll come to pick us up, anyway. It would be really nice if we get to be a family for at least a few hours._

_I bought my sister a case for her wand, she looked happy about it. I love her a lot._

_I hope Hogwarts is better than being at home._

*

_September 1, 1993_

_I got sorted into Hufflepuff!_

_Why!_

_It’s not fait! I heard the hat allowed Harry Potter to go to Gryffindor instead of Slytherin! Why couldn’t it do that with me too!? Mother is going to be so furious._

_Hufflepuff!_

*

_September 15, 1993_

_Mother isn’t talking to me. Or my sister. She stood up for me because of all the Hufflepuff thing, but she won’t talk to us. We’ve send owls with letters and letters but none of them come back with a response._

_I think we have other things to worry about, though. There’s a serial killer on the loose and he’s looking for Harry Potter. He seems like a nice guy, I don’t understand why would anyone want to kill him. I guess I’m not smart enough to comprehend that._

_The staircases are awesome! Just like the portraits and pictures! My sister was right. I love being in Hogwarts._

*

_October 30, 1993_

_Hufflepuff is amazing!_

_We’re close to the kitchen and the house elves let us take food with us! And my housemates are really kind and amazing! My roommates complain a little because I’m a bit messy but it’s just because I’m used to having my room for myself. My sister said she’s going to put a spell on my things, so everything gets organized instantly. I hope it works._

_On the other hand, Harry Potter seems a little bit too cool with the fact that Sirius Black is looking for him to kill him. Although… well, if I’d defeated the Dark Lord then I would be relaxed, nothing compares to that._

*

_December 23, 1993_

_I didn’t go home._

_I’m not even sure if I want to go when the school year finishes it. My sister went, of course, she’s the oldest and needs to keep an image or something like that. Mother doesn’t even want to talk to me in the first place. My father sent a letter asking me to stay, but it’s not like I wanted to go back for Christmas. I think it’s safer here, than in another place. I have a friend, and she’s really nice. But she’s a muggleborn and someone would think that Gryffindors accept all kinds of people, but my mother is still really closed-minded around that. She just wants me to have pure-blood friends and all that. I mean, my sister has muggleborn friends, but I think she just doesn’t tell her. I should start doing that._

_I don’t want to go home if it means I have to hide my friends._

*

Harry sighs. He’s seen a lot of prejudice on people along his way in the magical world. He knows there are closet-minded people around, magical and muggle, they’re the same. Harry hasn’t spent a lot of time in Muggle London lately, but he remembers the whole ‘homosexuality’ fiasco, even though he was still a child, he could understand big words if he paid attention. His uncle and aunt were like that. They thought Harry was a freak because he could do magic, so they thought a homosexual person was an abomination. But Harry couldn’t actually see that, no while he was abroad somewhere, learning so many things magical. Those kinds of things didn’t have any relevance.

He remembers the rumor of Dumbledore being gay along the corridors, people talking and talking and talking. But he never actually saw anyone being discriminative over that. Dumbledore was one of the most powerful wizards of all time, and the Headmaster, for god’s sake. The only one who probably talked shit about him was Malfoy, and he never mentioned something about the gay fact. Just that their loyalties were placed differently. Because, all that discrimination was directed to wizards who their parents were muggles. And seriously, if Harry thinks about it, they should just be awesome to them, because they’re magical. They can do magic on their own, and they don’t need magical parents to inherit that.

 _Prejudice is what caused the war in the first place_ , he thinks to himself.

Then again, he’s not actually guilt-free either, if he thinks about it too. He had that dumb-folded hate towards all things Slytherin, purposely not wanting to see the good in them, even when it was just in front of him. He knows he has a lot of things to make out for, a lot of mistakes and he’s trying, he really is. He knows he’s not some kind of perfect being who doesn’t make mistakes, or who doesn’t have doubts before launching into something, because if there’s a word that would describe him these days is that one: doubts. Huh.

“Harry ‘Doubts’ Potter” he mumbles out loud, amused smile on his face. “I should owl Rita Skeeter. It would make a huge thing in the newspaper.”

Harry checks the notebook for more entries but that is the last one, the rest of the pages full of drawings and little notes and phrases he remembers people saying at Hogwarts. When he’s about to close the notebook, a little square paper falls on the floor, he bents down and takes it. The paper is soft, it’s not parchment and it doesn’t seem to be written with a quill. He turns the little paper around and realizes that it’s an echography, he doesn’t actually see anything but there are little words at one side.

_Elena Pemberton_

_February 8, 2008_

_4-week pregnancy_

The other words are faded so he doesn’t actually know what else does it say. It was a muggle echography. He knows because he purposely went with Hermione when she first got pregnant and he’s seen wizard echography. It was the first one, Harry figured, and it was safely saved in her first’s year diary. He thinks that maybe it had something to do with something written on the pages, so he reads again, trying to find out why the little paper is there. But there’s nothing. The same dates stare back at him, with the same information he just read. He’s confused.

Harry looks at the time and sees that it’s almost time to get William from school. So he takes some parchment and a pen, and writes a quick note.

_Malfoy,_

_I finished reading her first-year diary, so here you have it. There’s something about her mother being anti-muggleborns, you should keep that in mind when you’re looking for the killer. There was also an echography, I think it’s the first one she did. I can not recognize if she did it here, in England, or if she was already in Ireland. It’s a muggle echography, though, so it doesn’t move._

_When I finish the second one, I’ll owl it to you._

_Harry P._

Harry stands up, gives a treat to Hazelskye and asks her to deliver the diary and the letter to Draco Malfoy. She looks at him with questioning eyes and Harry just shrugs.

“It’s going to become a thing, I’m sorry.” Hazelskye just bats her wings and storms out of the window. “Now, William.”

He checks his clothes and disapparates.

*

After an afternoon of teaching William about dueling, the kid sits in the stool, looking at Harry cook, and holding Dumbledore close to him. Harry smiles at him while swiping off some bacon and humming to himself. He remembers those times he had to cook for the Dursleys, it was somewhat a punishment and all that, but he actually enjoyed the smells the food made while cooking. He prefers cooking in the muggle style, rather than the magic one.

“Harry.” He hears, and he turns his head violently to William.

“You… you talked.” Harry mumbles dumbly, and he cuts the heat and goes directly to the boy.

“I don’t…” William murmurs, eyes full of tears. “I want my mom.”

“Oh, I know you do.” Harry feels uncomfortable, watching the kid cry and sob, “can I hug you?” and when the kid nods, Harry wraps him in a tight hug, allowing the boy to cry his eyes out.

After a few moments of silence, where Dumbledore is curled around one of the boy’s sides, Harry still hugging him, the kid wipes his tears off his cheeks and looks at him with doe-shaped eyes. Harry sighs and shuffles his hair.

“Come on, let’s eat first.”

“My mom used to tell me stories about you.” He says, and his voice sounds rough and not-used at all. “I thought you were just a story.”

“Well, I hope I’m living up to the stories your mother told you.”

“… you are.”


	5. Chapter 5

Harry wakes up earlier than he intended. It’s still dark outside and his forehead is full of sweat. For once, there isn’t screams in his apartment, only silence. He takes a deep breath and gets up, checking the time.

“3:45 a.m.” he mumbles to himself as he walks to the bathroom adjacent to his room.

He turns on the light, washes his face and dries it, hearing the door opening. William is there, his pillow under his arm and his blanket on his hand.

“Hey, pal. It’s everything ok?” Harry asks.

“You were screaming.” He answers, frowning.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?” William nods. “I’m really sorry, William. Sometimes I get nightmares too. They come and go. Would you like to lie down with me until it’s time to wake up?”

The boy doesn’t answer, he just walks to the bed and climbs it sleepily. Harry turns off the bathroom lights and he climbs in bed too, making sure to give enough space to William, but the kid gets closer to him and hugs him.

“What was your nightmare about?” he asks.

“They are about different things. Sometimes I dream about the day my parents died, other times it’s about the war. Sometimes it’s my fear of losing my friends…”

“Why do you fear that?”

“I’ve lost too many of them, it would be very hard for me.”

“Yeah…” the kid is silent for so long that Harry thinks that he’s asleep again. “You can call me Will, you know? My mom used to call me that.” He says again, sleep in his voice.

“Ok, I’ll call you Will from now on”, the boy slightly nods, and Harry knows he’s asleep again.

He should do that too.

*

In the morning, Harry wakes up and Will is not there anymore. He sighs, rubs his eyes a little bit and gets up. He hears some chatter coming from the living room and he frowns, wondering why someone is talking so loud in the morning. He hears a laugh and another voice on top of the laugh and he runs out immediately out of the room. No one is supposed to be there.

“… and then! Professor Snape holds up his copy of the potions book and asks Harry if he really is sure that it’s his book because it has the name of Roonil Wazlib!” there’s another laugh and Harry smiles to himself. He always loved getting on Snape’s nerves. “And he answers, without missing a beat, ‘that’s my nickname’! How about that!?”

“All right, Ginny. I didn’t know you knew about that.”

“Are you mad? Everyone knew! I’m surprised you didn’t get more detention _or_ more House Points taken!”

“Harry, is it true that you told him it wasn’t necessary to call you ‘sir’? My mom always told me he was the most terrifying professor at Hogwarts.”

“He wasn’t the most terrifying.” Ginny says before he can answer. “That was McGonagall.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes.” Harry says, and picks him up from where he’s sitting on the couch and carries him until they reach the kitchen counter. “She was nice, but she could have this brilliant temperament. _She_ is the force to be reckon on at Hogwarts. She’s a very respected Headmistress.”

“Will I meet her? When I go to Hogwarts?” Will asks, looking at the both of them.

“Yes, of course!” Ginny answers first. “She will give a very nice speech after you’re sorted in your House and then the house elves will make appear a very big feast for everyone to eat!”

“I want to be a Hufflepuff!”

“Just like your mom.” Harry says enthusiastically.

“Yes! She was very happy when she was talking about all the friends she made at Hogwarts… although I never met them.” He finishes with a rather sad tone.

Harry and Ginny look at each other briefly and then Harry claps his hands. “Come on, Will. You need to shower for school and I need to make breakfast, so why don’t you go and do that?”

“Ok. Can I take Dumbledore with me?”

“He probably won’t like it, but sure.”

William gets off the kitchen counter and runs down the hall calling for the cat.

“Harry…” Ginny starts, and he looks at her.

“You know, this is the first time I hear him laugh, or talk so much for that matter.”

“Harry.”

“I know. I’m working on it.”

“What do you _mean_ you’re working on it?” she asks, whispering. “You have to tell him!”

“Which one?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Until I’m sure, I’m not going to say anything.” Harry says, turning to the freezer and taking the eggs out. “Besides, I’m trying to find out _who_ killed Elena, first.”

“You don’t think he…”

“Of course, I don’t! But to _people_ it won’t matter what I _think_.”

“And by people you mean…?”

“Malfoy.”

Ginny looks at him with her lips slightly open and shock in her face for a second, and then she’s laughing so hard that she bends her body in half.

“Oh, my god. _This_ is going to be so rich.” She says between laughs.

“What do you even mean by that!?” Harry asks, scandalized. She laughs a little bit more.

“I just want front seats for what’s going to happen between the two of you!” she laughs delighted again.

“What!? What’s going to happen!? We’re just working together!”

“Oh, no, yeah, that too.” She smiles to him, innocently.

“Ginny, I swear to Merlin’s beards that…”

“I’m all clean!” Will says, announcing his arrival to the living room again.

“Very well, mate… Now you are going to place your order with Ginny here because she was being really mean and now _she_ has to make breakfast while I shower.”

“What! That’s cheating!”

“You came for free breakfast, you _make_ your free breakfast.” Harry says, getting away from her and the kitchen.

“But that’s the whole concept of getting it for free! I don’t have to do anything!”

“Sucks to be you, then.”

“You are a prat, Harry Potter!”

“You say that like you don’t know it already!” he says, closing the door of his room right after hearing Ginny’s laugh again.

He sighs and leans his body against the door, closing his eyes and hitting the door softly with his head. He needs to find out the truth about this whole case: about why Elena left, about William’s father, and most importantly, about who killed Elena. He can’t let other people’s –Malfoy’s– opinions cloud his judgement. He needs to be impartial and quick. Everyone is going to start to wonder and if Hermione sees William before everything is settled… well, that’s another thing he’ll have to worry later. For now, he needs to get ready to take William to school.

*

“Are you skipping work?” Malfoy asks, smirk on his face.

“I do what I want.” He answers, felling the wrath bubble under his skin.

“Oh, yeah, Head of the Auror Department and all that. But you’re not on your office so you _are_ skipping work.”

“I’m working from home today!” he says with dignity. “And we can not meet at the Ministry.”

“Oh, because your little friend will be compromised?” Malfoy frowns.

“No, because I don’t want anyone spying on what we find.”

“… Ok?”

“I meant”, Harry says, taking a deep breath, “that maybe someone killed Elena because she _knew_ something.”

“But she was living away, why would someone… Oh, if that were the case, she would have been under protection.”

“Exactly. Now, I don’t have any prove–”

“And we can’t overview Weasley’s part in all this.”

“–Again. We don’t have any prove. There has to be something in the diaries.”

“Well, it could be her family’s fault.” Malfoy says, taking out a block of notes. “It would be easier if her sister were alive, I don’t think her mother wants to talk about her, since she doesn’t even want to take care of her grandson.”

“But we could talk to her friends, see if someone knew something about why she left.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“It is. But it could be something else.” Harry cups his own face on his hand and looks around them. The diner they’re in is almost empty and the only waitress is in the kitchen. “We could also talk to her coworkers.”

“That would probably be more helpful.”

“So, we have… four suspects?”

“Her family, someone at the Ministry, Weasley and…?” Malfoy looks at his notes, frowning.

“Someone else. Someone we don’t know the identity just yet but is some other person, different from our Ministry suspect.”

“Four suspects then. That’s a start.”

“I guess so.”


End file.
